smith



A.V SMITH.

PHOPELUNG DEvlce 0R suooen Foa Toys.

Patented July 1, 1919.

v APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I8, l 1,308,201

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEioE.

ANDREW SMITH, or onroned'innnvors.

PROPELLING DEVICE 0R SHOOTER FR` TOYS.

`Specifica'oion of Letters Patent.

Patented J nly 1, 1919.

Application led September18, 1.917. Serial No. 191,981.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW SMITH, a citizen `of the United States, residing in Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new, useful, and Improved Propelling Device or Shooter for Toys, of which the following is a speci fication.

My invention relates to an improved disk propelling device or shooter for use in games.

The objectof my invention is to provide a device by means of which disks, such as checkers and similar playing devices, can-be and having an arm terminating adjacent to the lower end of the base member adapted to' be forced outwardly to propel a disk or the like positionedon `the table upon which the device stands, said arm beingmormally` in a retracted position.

My invention also consists in a propelling lever pivotally mounted on a relatively fixed base, the lever having a substantially horiL zontal` arm at its upper end adapted to bestruck bythe hand, a relatively vertical depending armterminating adjacent to the lower end of thebase and adapted to be"` forced outwardly from the base when the horizontal arm is forced down, the lower,` end of the vertical arm` being adapted for contact with a disk or the like for propelling or-shooting same, means for holding the lever with its lower end retracted, and stops for limiting" the movement of the lever.`

My invention also consists in the several features of construction and in thecombinations of parts by which I am enabled to attain the above mentioned and other objects,

and all ashereinafterdescribed and particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.4

My invention willbe more readily under stood by reference to* the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specifica# tion, and in which Figure l is a vertical: central' section of a `upper end of the base.

propelling device embodying my invention in oneform and taken on Athe line 1 1 of Fig. 2is a vertical central section of the device on the line 2-2 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the device .oaths um; ee of Eig. i.

`In games in which disks or similar `pieces are shot or propelled across a game board it `has been customary to propel the disks by 'snapping them with the fingers. This requires a considerable degree of skill not only to properly direct the disk, but to propel it fwith.- sufficient force to properly play the game. Furthermore as I have invented a `'game boardparticularly adapted for such `gaines as billiards, pool, croquet and roque,

all of which at times require the disk to be propelled `with considerable force in `order to make the game interesting, I have found `a necessity of having a simple device by means of which the disk can be easily propelled with any reasonable degree of force and fairly well directed in such action.

AMy propelling device consists of a pillan like basemember A having a flat bottom B upon which the base can stand steady in upright position on the game" board C.

preferably the base is rectangular in horizontal section asshown.` Upon the base I pivotally mount a swinging bell-crank lever D having one short arm E, and one long arm' F. I preferably mount the lever D on the base to swing in a vertical plane by means of a horizontal pivot G placed adjacent to the forward edge ofthe The short arm E is substantially horizontal and is adapted to be struck or forced down with the hand of the player to operate the device while the longer arm is substantially vertical, its lower end Il terminating adjacent to the lower end ofthe base A and adapted for contact with disk, or the like, for propelling the same;

VWhile the lever D might be mounted upon the base in many different ways to allow it the movement necessary to accomplish the result desired, I prefer to` mount the lever centrally upon the base providing'a vertical groove K in the forward edge of thebase to* receive theA inner portion' ofthe "arm F and a central horizontal groove L 4in the upper end ofthe base to receivefthe lower portion of thefshort arnr Ey. y i y Fon' the purpose of holding the lever D in retracted, position ready for operation, and with its lower end in contact with the lower part of the base, I overbalance the lever by extending the vertical arm F quite a distance out in frontof thebase and the pivOtGrl as shown at M. This addition 1s rsuliicient to more than counterbalancethe rearwardly extending horizontal arm E. I so proportion the arm E that when the lever is in'retracted position, as shown in full line, Fig. 1, the lower face of edge N of the arm E is raised above the bottom @fthe groove L, thus permitting the arm to descend alimited distance when it is forced downwardly. I form the arm E so that its upper edge P projects at all times above Y the upper .end of the base so that it is best arrange the lever that the point of ContactY of the lever with the upper edge of the vdisk J, when the same is placed in position to be propelled, lies substantially below the pivot G. The inclination of the disk contacting edge or portion S permits theuse of the-device with substantially equal precision upon the disks or movable men of various thicknesses, thus adding to the range of usefulf ness of the device, and I have found that the inclined striking edge S propels the disks with vthe least tendency rto turn the disks over. In other words, the inclined striking or. propelling edge S tends to cause the disks to slide f across vthe board with their lower facesV in contact with the surface of the board upon which they :are moving.v I have found that an inclination of the propelling edge S of about l5 degrees serves to best propel the disks or movable men. Y

Under usual conditions the counterweight M is sufficient to hold the lever in a retracted or cocked condition, but I sometimes provide a light compression spring T mounted in a suitable vertical socket U and adapted to contact with the lower edge N of the arm E `and normally holding the lever retracted in anv obvious manner. i f v Inusing my device the rectangular shape of the base is of use in setting the device to properly direct the disk to be shot toward the object or place which it is desired to hit, and it will be apparent that when a disk or other similar game device is placed in con- Y tact with the lower end of the arm F, and

the arm E is sharply struck with the hand, the disk will be shot or forced away from the device in accordance with the force with which the arm E is struck.

VIt will be apparent that to one skilled in the art many modifications of my invention will readily suggest themselves, and I therefore do not limit my invention to the specific forms and arrangements herein shown and described.

I claim:

1. A device of the character specified comprising a relatively fixed base member, a relatively movable member pivotally mounted on the base member adjacent to its upper end, a depending arm on said movable member terminating at its free end adjacent to the lower end of the base and adapted for contact with a disk, or the like, for propelling same away from the base, and means normally holding said arm in retracted position, a second arm rigid with said movable member adapted to be struck by the hand to cause said depending arm to propel a disk or the like.

2. A game shooter comprising a base having a flat bottom upon which the base stands in upright position, a bell-crank lever pivoted to the base, the free end of one arm thereof adapted for contact with a disk or the like positioned on the table or support upon which the shooter is placed, the other arm of the lever being adapted to be moved by the hand to cause the first mentioned arm to propel a disk, and means for normally retaining said lever in retracted position.

3. A game shooter comprising a pillarlike base member adapted to be stood on end for use, a bell-crank lever having two arms extending at substantially right angles to each other pivoted to said base, one arm depending and the other extending substantially horizontally, the depending arm terminating adjacent to the bottom of the base and adaptedfor Contact with a disk or the like positioned upon the support upon which the shooter stands, the horizontal arm extending over the top of the base and adapted to be struck by the hand to force the lower end of the depending arm outwardly, and means for normally retaining the lower arm retracted and the horizontal arm raised.

4. A self-cooking shooter or propeller for games, comprising a pillar-like base member having a flat bottom upon which it can be stood for use, a bell-crank lever pivoted to the forward edge of the base and movable ina vertical plane, a depending arm on saidlever terminating near the bottom of the base and adapted to contact with a disk or the like for propelling the same, a horizontal arm rigid with the depending arm and adapted to be struck to operate the device, said depending arm being weighted in such a manner that the horizontal arm is more than counterbalanced whereby the lower end of the depending arm is normally held in a retracted position.

5. In a game shooteror propeller, a pillarlike base member adapted'to be stood in upright position on a game board, a swinging lever on the pillar movable in a vertical plane and having a depending arm terminating adjacent to the bottom of the pillar, the forward edge of the lower end of said depending arm being adapted for contact with a disk or the like to propel the same, said disk-contacting edge arranged substantially below the pivot when the lever is in retracted position, said lever having a horizontal arm extending back over the top of the base and adapted to be struck to propel a disk, and means for holding the lever normally in retracted position.

7. In a game shooter or propeller, a pillarlike base adapted to be stood on end upon a game board for use, a central vertical groove in the forward edge of the base and a central horizontal groove in the upper end of the base, a bell-crank lever having arms lying within said grooves and pivoted to the upper end ofthe base to swing in a vertical plane, the arm in the Vertical groove terminating above the lower end of the base and adapted for lcontact with a disk or the like resting upon the support upon which the shooter is placed, the arm within the horizontal groove adapted to be struck by the hand to operate the device, means holding the lower end of the vertical arm in retracted position in contact with the base.r

8. In a game shooter or propeller, a rectangular pillar-like base adapted to be stood on end upon a game board for use, a bellcrank lever pivoted adjacent to its upper end for swinging in a vert-ical plane parallel with the side faces of the base, said lever having `a depending arm terminating adjacent to the lower end of the base and adapted to` contact with a disk or the like placed upon the game board upon which the shooter is placed, an upper horizontal arm on the lever adapted to be struck to operate the device, means for limiting the swinging movement of thelever and means for normally holding the lever in a retractedposition.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of September, 1917, in the presence of one subscribing witness.

ANDREW SMITH.

Witness:

` E. F. WILSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing" the commissioner of Patents,

Washington, ID. C. i 

